It’s a pretty safe bet that social media is something that’s been on your radar recently. Certainly, you have probably experienced some of the apprehension out there about the impact this technology is having on the association sector.
As members are now able to gain free online access to a lot of the information, resources and networking opportunities they have been paying membership dues for, the “value proposition” many associations have relied on for so long to attract and retain members is on shaky ground, to say the least.
Earlier this fall, there was a great deal of debate among association bloggers around the use, misuse and overuse of terms like 'relevance' and ‘value’ (Acronym, Jeff De Cagna and Jamie Notter's blogs have some good posts on this).
I would argue that in today’s changing environment, engaging and providing a deeper and more meaningful kind of value to members will be critical success factors for associations in the months and years to come.
Blogs, forums, tweetups, Facebook...whatever the tool, social media should be seen as less of a threat and more of an opportunity to help organizations to achieve these key objectives. Here are just a few reasons why:
- Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of your Members
Social media tools allow organizations to keep a near-to-real-time pulse on the evolving needs, priorities, trends and issues facing current and potential members. It also allows them to actively seek out, track and respond to feedback, input and ideas from members, staff, volunteers and other key stakeholders. Harnessing this capability can be a powerful asset, particularly if an association can also adapt its structure to be responsiveness to these changing needs and priorities.
- Improving Transparency and Trust
Social media by its nature encourages transparency...an uncomfortable prospect for many associations. Certainly if you’ve had your eye on the kiva.com debate lately (Sean Stannard-Stockton has posted some thoughts on this), you know that transparency can be a risky business. While “opening up the trench coat” may expose an association to criticism and negative word of mouth, it also sends a strong message to its stakeholders: It give them a direct line of communication to the association as well as a forum inside which they can speak their minds, not only about what they think the association is doing right, but what needs to be improved and how this can be achieved.
- Getting Members to Roll Up Their Sleeves
Actively seeking out, responding to and implementing ideas and feedback shows members that their input truly makes a difference to the association. Because they have played a role in charting its course, they will have a vested interest in seeing the organization succeed. They are also more likely to be excited about what is going on and willing to roll up their sleeves to help the organization achieve its goals.
All of this is not to say that social media isn’t without more than its share of issues and challenges. In addition to making sure you are using it for the right reasons and targeting it to the right audience, it can be very difficult to draw the line between letting go of control and keeping your organization focused on its vision, mission, resources and capabilities.
When properly targeted, however, social media can help associations stand apart from the crowd in an environment where more associations are competing for fewer members than ever before – and in times like these, this is a hot commodity.
Recent Comments